Gods Sabbath

D AVID ’ S L OSS OF F AITH

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encouraging the fainthearted, strengthening the feeble, and im parting courage and help to the tried servants of the Lord! Oh, what a God is ours, who deals gently with the erring and mani fests His patience and tenderness in adversity, and when we are overwhelmed with some great sorrow! “Every failure on the part of the children of God is due to their lack of faith. When shadows encompass the soul, when we want light and guidance, we must look up; there is light beyond the darkness. David ought not to have distrusted God for one moment. He had cause for trusting in Him: he was the Lord’s anointed, and in the midst of danger he had been protected by the angels of God; he had been armed with courage to do won derful things; and if he had but removed his mind from the dis tressing situation in which he was placed, and had thought of God’s power and majesty, he would have been at peace even in the midst of the shadows of death; he could with confidence have repeated the promise of the Lord, ‘The mountains shall de part, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not de part from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be re moved.’ Isaiah 54:10.” Patriarchs and Prophets , 656.3–657.2. It is extremely comforting to know that even though David brought all this trouble upon himself, God thought of him not in terms of condemnation, but of education. His loving heavenly Fa ther used the opportunity to show him his weakness and teach him lessons which would prevent the recurrence of these costly

David

The Philistines received a false impres sion of God’s character

God’s problem solving

Own problem solving

Seeming relief

When David turned to his own problem solving, the Philistines received a false impression of God’s character